I'll Walk
by ericastwilight
Summary: A song-fic based on I'll Walk by Bucky Covington. Edward and Bella's first fight leads to a life-altering event.


**AN: I had this one for a while, but a friend encouraged me to finish it. Its short and sweet. Thanks to lisa89 for everything. This is for you kyla713.**

**I do not own Twilight or it's characters or the song I'll Walk.**

* * *

I'll Walk

_**One-shot: Song-inspired fan fiction**_

_**Song by: Bucky Covington**_

**

* * *

**

~Edward

It was prom night of our junior year, just after ten at night, and we were already on our way home.

Our relationship so far had been blessed. It had been love at first sight – wooing, swooning since the beginning. It had been like that for the both of us. We weren't like most young high school couples. They'd fight and break up every other day. No, we were genuinely happy. We knew we were in it for the ultimate goal – forever.

Now, this was officially our first big fight. The first fight we'd had in our three-year relationship. And now it seemed to have ruined what should have been an unforgettable night.

She had no reason to be angry over something I had no control over. Lauren Mallory, the senior class queen bee, had decided to come up to me when I had gone to get Bella a drink and kiss me. I had pushed her away, but Bella was pissed.

"I don't know why you're crying, Bella," I said angrily.

She turned to look at me and glared. "How about the fact that it took not three seconds, but ten seconds for you to push her away," she snapped.

"Ten seconds is hardly something to cry over. She means nothing to me." The truth of the matter was that I'd been in no mood to cause a big scene and have Bella go all Carrie on Lauren's ass.

I was a bit surprised that Lauren had chosen to be so brazen, considering it had taken two surgeries to fix her nose after Bella had broken it the first time.

"Ten seconds is a long time, Edward. If it was the other way around and it was me and Jacob, you'd be angry at me if it took that long to push him away."

That shit stung.

She had to bring up the one _boy_ that had been a thorn in my side. The one person I couldn't pound my fists into, because he'd been the _best friend._

To emphasize her point, she kissed her hand and counted to ten with the other. She watched me, her eyes dark and slightly wild with her burning anger.

She was right; I would've been angry if she hadn't tried to push him away sooner. I guessed that from anyone else's point of view, they'd see it for more than it actually was. It hadn't helped matters that I had just gaped at Lauren for an additional three seconds before running after Bella. The whole damn school had seen the whole scene play out.

Bella had run out with tears streaming down her face, while Lauren had stood back from me, smug and triumphant.

"Pull this car over, Edward," Bella whispered, refusing to look at me.

I sighed and pulled off onto the shoulder, kicking up a little dust on the country road. I grabbed her hand as she reached for the door. She turned to look at me, her brown eyes glistening from her tears.

"I'll walk. Let go of my hand, Edward," she said firmly. "There is nothing you can say that will make the hurt go away. Right now it hurts, and you don't seem to understand. So please, just be quiet and go home. We'll talk later. Just leave. Don't worry about me. I'll walk." Bella stepped out into the darkness, closing the door behind her.

I called out to her and even followed for a while, but she just ignored me. Each little hiccup and sob broke my heart.

I knew that I was not going to win this fight. I left, seeing her figure in my rear view mirror. I stopped just out of view of her house, waiting until she came home. I shouldn't have left her. She could be so stubborn sometimes. "She'll be fine," I told myself over and over again. I fell asleep waiting for her, my head leaning against my window.

I was startled awake, my cell phone ringing in my pants pocket. I looked at the caller id. _Charlie_. Strange. Why would he be calling me?

"Hello?"

"Edward, it's Bella…" Charlie's voice was panicked, which immediately put me on alert.

"Bella got mad at me and wouldn't let me take her home," I said tentatively.

"No, Edward, she's in the hospital," Charlie cried out. My breathing became erratic as I listened. "The driver didn't see her around the bend. It was dark, and with her black dress… You need to come down here."

"I'll be right there."

I let out a strangled sob after I hung up. This was my fault. I should've never let her go. I drove to the hospital with tears running down my face.

My heart was near to the breaking point. I walked into the emergency room and saw Carlisle and Charlie talking. Both of them looked so tired.

"Dad, Charlie, where is she?"

"Son, before you go in there you need to know that she can't feel her legs," my father said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

Charlie let out a low whimper before running his hands over his face roughly. He looked broken because his daughter was here, hurt, and there was nothing he could do for her. We were all helpless.

"Are you trying to tell me that my Bella may not walk again, Dad?" My father nodded. I looked down and took several deep breathes.

"She's asking for you, son. Pull yourself together. She's going to need for you to be strong," he expressed, clasping a supportive hand on my shoulder. Charlie pulled me in for a bone-crushing hung.

"Take care of her."

I nodded. "She's always been the strongest of us all, but I'll do everything I can."

I made my way to Bella's room. I stood by the doorway and looked at her, broken and pale on the hospital bed. She looked up at me with concerned features as tears rolled down my face. She was broken because of me.

Bella looked so sad, but I knew she wasn't upset about herself. She was upset because I was.

"I'll walk." She held her hand out, inviting me to take it. "Please come hold my hand, baby. Right now I'm hurt, and I don't understand what's happening to me." Bella cried as I walked over and took her hand in mine.

I kissed her hand tentatively, but the moment my lips touched her skin, I let out a strangled sob. "I'm so sorry, baby. God, I love you. This was my fault. I shouldn't have left you."

I laid my head on her arm as more sobs racked through my body. Her trembling fingers ran through my hair in comfort.

"Shhh…let's be quiet for now. Later we can talk, Edward. Please stay with me. Don't worry, I'll walk. I love you always."

"Forever, baby," I sobbed. I kissed her tears and held her as close as I could, and I stayed. I stayed that night. I stayed that week. I stayed with her every day. I brought her homework so that she could still graduate along with the rest of our class.

Alice, my little sister and Bella's best friend, came everyday to her house to help her through everything her father and I couldn't. I helped her to every class when she finally was allowed to return, even though she was in a wheelchair.

I was with her when she had to go for her first therapy session. "Okay, Bella. We're going to start with the simple stretching of your legs," her physical therapist said.

I held her hand as I watched the pain that she was going through every time the therapist moved her legs in any way. Bella never let up or gave up. She fought through her pain, trying not to show it as she took small steps toward her recovery. I never left her side. I stayed with her through the weeks and months of therapy.

Just a few days before graduation I asked Charlie for her hand in marriage. He watched me closely the whole time I had helped Bella through this ordeal. He knew I loved her. He knew I'd never leave her side.

As long as Bella needed or wanted me, I'd always be with her. He gave me his blessing.

For our graduation, a year after the accident, I watched as Bella gave her speech as class valedictorian from her wheelchair. I watched as she stood up to face our future together. She fell back into her chair after what must have been an agonizing three minutes. She was as stubborn as ever.

She couldn't walk up to receive her diploma, so I surprised her by plopping her on my shoulders. I walked across the stage with her waving and laughing before Principal Meyer handed us our diplomas.

We walked together as one.

Then I sat her down on her chair, I dropped to one knee and asked my high school sweetheart and the love of my life to become my wife. In front of everyone we knew.

We were young and she was still in a wheelchair, but none of that mattered. What mattered was that I loved her and she loved me. There was no reason to wait; after she said yes we announced that we'd be married before the summer ended.

Bella was determined to walk on our wedding day, but she was having so much trouble. In the end she told me that it didn't matter how she got to her destination, just that she got there.

I stood by my brother Emmett and my best friend Jasper and waited for my soon-to-be-wife to join me at this end of the aisle.

Alice and Rosalie came down the aisle, both dressed in dark blue dresses. They both looked beautiful and happy.

I was on cloud nine. I was about to marry the love of my life, my reason for living.

**~Bella**

My father made his way to me, ready to push my wheelchair down the aisle. I stopped him, placing a hand on his, and shook my head. I placed my hands on the armrests of my chair and pushed myself up.

My father gasped and was at my side in a second. I'd never seen him move so fast. He was scared I was going to fall.

"Bella, sit back down please," he pleaded, his eyes darting to my legs as I took a few steps forward.

"I'll walk. Please hold my hand, Dad." I looked at him as tears fell from his eyes, his lip trembling.

"I know letting me go will hurt, but I know that you understand," I said. He nodded as he cupped my face in his palms. "It's time for me to _walk_ to meet my future husband." I wiped a few tears from his face. "Please, Dad, don't cry. This is already hard. Let's go. I'll walk."

My father nodded and smiled. "I'm so proud of you. Love you, baby."

"Love you too, Daddy," I whispered, kissing his cheek.

**~Edward**

Wagner's March started as our friends and family waited for Bella and her father to come down the aisle. Alice had said she'd managed to get Bella a Vera Wang dress and that she looked beautiful in it. I had no doubt she'd be breathtaking.

There was a collective gasp as I watched Bella and her father walk in. I stopped breathing all together. I faintly heard my mother and Renee crying. Tears ran down my cheeks as I ran my hands through my hair, watching her take tentative steps toward me.

Our eyes locked, and a smile played at her lips. I wanted to run to her and spin her around and kiss her, but this was her moment. This is what she wanted, to finally walk on her own, to walk toward me and our future.

I counted each step under my breath. It took her twenty-seven steps to reach me. Her smile was breathtaking as she turned to her father. He kissed her cheek and whispered something in her ear and took her hand, placing it in my own. Charlie took his seat beside Renee before turning and smiling at us.

My fingers curled around her hand, but it wasn't enough. I put both of my hands on her cheeks and rested my forehead against hers. We both whispered, "I love you," to each other before turning to the minister.

The ceremony was emotional, even by my standards. She didn't fidget. She didn't look uncomfortable. She looked happy and content as she said, "I do," in front of our friends and family

"I now pronounce you, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," Father Weber said. "You may kiss the bride."

I turned to face my wife – my Bella. I smiled at her before taking her face in my hands and placing my lips against her petal soft red lips ones. I pressed my lips harder against hers, but I kept it decent, knowing she'd be embarrassed if I tried to deepen it further.

I placed another chaste kiss on her lips before touching my forehead to hers. "I love you, Mrs. Cullen."

Bella smiled, sighing in contentment. "I love you, Mr. Cullen." I quickly enveloped her and spun her around, just like I'd wanted to when I'd first seen her walk in. She laughed heartily as the wind whipped her hair around. She looked so happy and beautiful, and she was all mine.

After I set her on her feet, I took her hand in my own and turned to face our friends and family. I wrapped my arm around her waist to keep her as steady as possible. Just in case.

She looked at me again and winked. I had a feeling she'd been keeping this secret for a while now.

It was the best wedding present ever.

I fed her cake; we took pictures. But nothing compared to taking her in my arms and sliding across the dance floor.

"So, Mrs. Cullen, just how long have you been keeping this a secret?" I asked, just inches from her lips. I pressed a gentle kiss on her before pressing my forehead against hers.

"Hmm…a while," she said wistfully.

"A while? That's all I get?" I said, kissing her forehead and then her eyes. I kissed the corner of her mouth, causing her lips to part slightly.

I pulled back, smirking at her completely dazed look. She snapped out of it quickly and slapped my chest.

"Stop dazzling me," she said in mock anger and with a grin.

I chuckled. "Nope, I can't promise you that. My dazzling techniques are a patent pending product of E. Cullen Inc. They are guaranteed to procure the secrets, favors and sweet kisses of the unsuspecting town folk," I teased, pulling her closer.

She huffed. "Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, Mr. Cullen."

"Ha! Too late for that! You're already wearing the ring."

Bella giggled. "Oh damn. I wonder, what's the return policy of said product of E. Cullen Inc? Also, is there a money-back guarantee?"

"All purchases are _final,_" I growled. "There is no money-back guarantee, but there is a lifetime guarantee."

Bella's smiled widened. "Hmm, a lifetime, you say? Does that mean that you'll use your dazzling techniques everyday for the rest of our lives?"

I swirled her around, causing her laugh beautifully. "I promise a lifetime of happiness, love and many _dazzling_ nights."

"Then I have no complaints," she whispered. She kissed my lips softly and swept her tongue over my bottom lip.

I groaned and pulled her closer. We hadn't been intimate since before the accident. One, I didn't want to hurt her and two, she never asked for anything more than simple touches.

"I think it's time to go," I said as my fingers ran down her bare collarbone. Her breathing hitched, and I pulled back to see her face. I met her darkened, hooded eyes.

Oh yes, it was time to go.

"Ready to go, Mrs. Cullen?" She nodded. "Are you tired? I'd gladly carry you, baby."

She shook her head and took my hand. "I'll walk."

* * *

**AN: I hoped you enjoyed that. I have a lemon to go with this that I'm almost finished with. If you're interested in seeing it, let me know. Please review. **


End file.
